Eighty Feet Above Ground
You and your coworkers are packed onto the fire escape like sardines. One girl goes down the ladder at a time. You look over the edge and see the firemen scaling the building. The hoses are not able to spray nearly high enough and their ladders only reach to the sixth floor.
Your turn on the ladder. The metal rungs croak under your weight and the bars are hot to the touch. The iron begins to twist and break. You think of your family back home.
